Snap-on base for a bottle, jar, glass, or the like



p 1959 N. B. LERNER 2,905,351

SNAP-ON BASE FOR A BOTTLE, JAR, GLASS, OR THE LIKE Filed Feb. 27, 1956a/V'athanfl Lerner SNAP-ON BASE FOR A BOTTLE, JAR, GLASS, OR THE LIKENathan Bernard Lerner, Chicago, Ill., assignor to W. Braun Co., Chicago,111., a partnership Application February 27, 1956, Serial No. 567,822 2Claims. (Cl. 215-100) This invention relates to a snap-on base for abottle, jar, glass or the like, and to receptacles of this type designedfor use with such a base.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a base forbottles, jars, glasses or the like which may be readily applied to orsnapped onto the bottoms of such receptacles. In the case of drinkingglasses, a set of difierently colored or decorated snap-on bases appliedthereto give an interesting variety in appearance to the glasses andenable the users thereof readily to distinguish their own glasses fromthose of others. Also, snap-on bases are useful where, because of theshape of the receptacle or because of cost considerations, it isdesirable to fabricate the body and base of the receptacle separat'ely,perhaps out of different materials. According to the invention, theseobjectives are accomplished simply and inexpensively by providing moldedplastic bases for the receptacle bodies which can be assembled by thesimple expedient of snapping the bases onto the receptacle bottoms.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a bottle, jar,glass, or other receptacle with means for interlocking with a base ofthe type above described.

I have invented an ink bottle body having a bottom internal wall whichtapers gradually to a point at the lower extremity of the body toprovide a small well portion at the bottom of the bottle interior intowhich small remaining amounts of ink may collect to a depth sufiicientto fill an ordinary fountain pen. It has been found desirable in theinterest of having uniform wall thickness to taper the bottom outersurface of the bottle body so that it followsthe outline of the bottleinterior. Because of the pointed bottom, the body cannot support itselfupright. It is accordingly another object of the invention to provide aninexpensive, easy to apply base for supporting in an-upright position areceptacle having a pointed or narrowbottom which prevents thereceptacle from supporting itself in an upright position.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will becomeapparent upon making reference to the specification to follow, takenconjunction with the drawings showing several embodiments of theinvention.

In the drawings: H Fig. l 'is an elevation of a drinking glass or goblethaving a snap-on base constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the goblet in Fig. 1 with thesnap-on base in section;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the snap-on base on Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view, partially in section, of adifferently designed drinking glass and modified snap-on base therefor;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the snap-on base of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through an ink bottle consituting oneaspect of the invention, and a snap-on base therefor constructed inaccordance with the invention; and

United States Patent 0 "cc 7 2,905,351 Patented Sept. 22, 1959 Fig. 7 isa horizontal section through the ink bottle assembly of Fig. 6, takenalong section line 7-7 in the direction of the arrows.

In Figs. 1 through 3 a goblet 2 having a snap-on base 4 is shown. Thegoblet 2 may be made of glass and has formed near the outer bottomsurface thereof a pcripherally extending recess or channel 6 withtapered sides and providing base-locking shoulders 7 and 8. The channelforms a bottom peripherally projecting rim 8' at the bottom of thegoblet.

The snap-on base may be made of any of a number of materials, preferablya molded plastic material, such as polystyrene. The base as shown is athin-walled, molded plastic body having a beaded bottom rim 10 fromwhich extends a concave, annular, upstanding side Wall 11 whichterminates in a horizontal, fiat annular shoulder 12. The shoulder 12surrounds or defines the mouth of a central opening 14 in the basedefined by dependent, resilient fiaps 15 which angle downwardly andinwardly. The flaps have a length approximately equal to the slantlength of the inner defining wall of the goblet channel6, and thetapered opening defined thereby isgenerally somewhat smaller than theneck portion of the goblet which defines the channel 6. However, thedistance across the mouth or top of the base opening 14 is slightlygreater than the width of the projecting rim 8 at the bottom of thegoblet to guide the goblet bottom easily into the base opening.

To apply the base 4 to the goblet 2, the rim 8' of the goblet isinserted into the slightly larger mouth of the base opening and pusheddownwardly until the rim 8' at the goblet bottom snaps under the bottomsofthe flaps 15. The flaps then lock in position by their own resiliencybetween the goblet shoulders 78 and latch over the shoulder 8. Theresiliency of the flaps 15 will securely hold the base 4 onto the bottomof the goblet 2.

Refer now to the modified goblet 16 and snap-onbase 17 shown in Figs. 4and 5. In this embodiment, an annular pocket or recess 18 is formed bythe projecting beaded rim 20 at the bottom of the goblet. The base 17,whch may bemade of a similar material to that described for the base 4in Fig. 1, has a convex or inverted dish-shaped body 21 which terminatesat the top thereof in a beaded rim 22. The rim 22 may be slotted at fourpoints therearound approximately apart to form resilient, expansiblesections between the slots 24. The unexpanded' inner-diameter of thebeaded rim 22 is made somewhat smaller than the maximum diameter of thebeaded rim 20 of the goblet 16. Due to the rounded or curved upper andinner surfaces of the slotted beaded rim 22 at the top of the base 17,insertion of the bottom of the goblet into the'top of the opening in thebase 17 will cam or expand the resilient section of the base rimoutwardly and the latter Will snap into place within the shallow recess18 formed immediately above the goblet rim 20.

Refer now to the embodiment shown Figs. '6 and 7 showing an ink bottleassembly including a bottle body 26, made preferably of glass, cap 28,and a plastic snapon base 30. The bottle body illustrated is pointedlyshaped with an upper frusto-conical portion 32 terminating in acylindrical, externally threaded neck 34. The cap 28 threads around theneck. The bottom portion 36 of the bottle body is shaped like aninverted cone and joins at its upper end the wide end of thefrusto-conical upper portion 32 of the bottle body. The bottle body ispreferably a molded article with walls of substantially even thicknessso that the bottom outer surface 38 of the bottle inclines downwardlyand inwardly toward the center of the bottle body as does the bottominner sur-' face 37, forming a pointed bottom on the bottle body. Thetapered or inclined bottom inner surface of the bottle forms afilling-well portion 39 in the bottom of the bottle body into which evensmall amounts of ink remaining in the bottle collect so that practicallyall of the ink in the bottle may be used.

' Extending outwardly and downwardly from the outer inclined surface ofthe bottle bottom is an annular projecting portion 40 whose outer edge41 inclines inwardly and downwardly for reasons to be explained. Anannular pocket or recess 42 is thereby provided between the upperinclined surface of the annular projecting portion 40 and the adjacentoppositely inclined wall of the bottle body.

Resiliently extending into the pocket 42 is the snap-on base 30, whichmay be made of a material similar to that out of which the bases 4 and17 are made in the previously described embodiments. The base has afrusto-conical, annular body 43. The upper edge or surface 44 of thebase body 43 has a downwardly and inwardly inclined shape conforming ingeneral to the conical external shape of the bottom portion of thebottle body 26. The annular nose or lip 45 at the upper end of thebottle base fits into the annular pocket or recess 42 of the bottlebody. From what has been stated above, it is apparent that the normal orunexpanded minimum inner diameter of the opening at the top of thesnap-on base 30 is made somewhat less than the minimum diameter of theexternal annular pocket or recess 42 in the bottle body.

- The top of the snap-on base is slotted at several points 46 to provideresilient flap sections between the slots. To apply the snap-on base 30to the bottle body, the pointed bottom portion of the latter is extendedinto the opening of the snap-on base 30, whereupon the inclined uppersurface 44 of the base and the similarly inclined bottom surface 41 ofthe annular projecting portion of the bottle body make contact. Furthermovement of the bottle body toward the base will result in a camming outor outward flexure of the flexible upper portions of the snap-on baseuntil the lip of the base snaps over the projecting portion 40 and intothe annular pocket 42 where the snap-on base is resiliently and securelyheld onto the bottom of the bottle body.

The various snap-on bases above described may be made of differentcolored materials increasing the variety and attractiveness of thereceptacles with which they are used. Also, the snap-on bases of theinvention make it possible to fabricate the body receptacles apart fromthe bases, while permitting quick and easy assembly of the bases on thereceptacle bodies by snap action between the bases and the receptaclebodies.

Particularly in the embodiment shown in Figs. 6 and 7, it is apparentthat it is within the purview of the broader aspects of the invention toomit the flexible flaps or sections on the snap-on base and instead fromthe annular projecting receptacle portions 40 of a resilient material sothat the latter will flex inwardly when the bases are applied thereto.

It should be understood that numerous modifications may be made of thepreferred embodiments of the invention above described without deviatingfrom the broader aspects thereof.

I claim:

1. A bottle having a body provided with a bottom which inclinesdownwardly toward the central portions of said body and at the verybottom of said body forms a narrow receptacle portion which cannotsupport the body in an upright position, an annular projection at thebottom of said body and surrounding said receptacle portion, saidprojection extending downwardly and outwardly from said receptacleportion, and a base for supporting said body in an upright position,said base having an annular lip extending at a substantial angle to thehorizontal and defining a top-opening for receiving the bottom of saidbottle, said opening being somewhat smaller than the outer dimension ofsaid projection, said lip being slotted at its upper end to provideresilient, flexible, flap sections between the slots, which flapsections when flexed outwardly clear the outer extremities of saidannular projection, said flap sections resiliently gripping andinterlocking with said annular projection and with the body adjacentsaid annular projection to hold said body in an upright position.

2. A bottle having a body provided with a bottom which inclinesdownwardly toward the central portions of said body and at the verybottom of said body forms a narrow receptacle portion which cannotsupport the body in an upright position, an annular projection at thebottom of said body and surrounding said receptacle portion, saidprojection extending downwardly and outwardly from said receptacleportion and terminating in a free edge spaced upwardly from the verybottom of said body, and a base for supporting said body in an uprightposition, said base having an annular lip extending at a substantialangle to the horizontal and defining a top-opening for receiving thebottom of said bottle, said opening being somewhat smaller than theouter dimension of said projection, said lip being slotted at its upperend to provide resilient, flexible, flap sections between the slots,which flap sections when flexed outwardly clear the outer extremities ofsaid annular projection, said flap sections resiliently gripping andinterlocking with said annular projection and with the body adjacentsaid annular projection to hold said body in an upright position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS607,993 Higgins July 26, 1898 648,436 Rider May 1, 1900 1,113,284 AshleyOct. 13, 1914 1,610,136 Kelty Dec. 7, 1926 1,792,903 Haller Feb. 17,1931 2,570,954 Kasman Oct. 9, 1951 2,704,444 Carew Mar. 22, 19552,727,645 Dore 7 Dec. 20, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 77,122 Switzerland Mar.1, 1918 191,611 Great Britain Jan. 18, 1923 378,152 Italy Jan. 24, 1940896,503 France May 2, 1944

